New technologies to aid in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma

In primary care, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to recognise malignant melanoma at an early stage. The earlier it is diagnosed, the better the prognosis. In 2008, there were 11,767 new diagnoses of melanoma in the UK, and its prevalence currently stands at one in 61 males and one in 60 females. In the same year there were 2,070 deaths due to melanoma. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends that any pigmented lesion, which cannot be diagnosed with certainty as benign, should be referred under the two-week wait protocol to an expert for urgent assessment.